The present invention relates to a clothes-dryer, and in particular a clothes-dryer provided with various accessories which can be run off of the same drying circuit of the dryer.
Known domestic washer/dryers comprise at least one ventilation device (fan) for forcing air through the laundry basket of the dryer, and at least one resistive heating element for heating the air which is forced through the laundry basket, whereby a load of clothes contained in the basket is dried by the heated air. Thus, such known domestic washer/dryers can be considered basically as forced air heaters.
It is also known that various appliances can be found in residential bathrooms to perform tasks which are frequently carried out in bathrooms. For example, small hair-dryers are universally used in residential bathrooms to dry one's hair, hands or even the coat of some domestic animals, such as dogs.
It is also desirable for the residential bathroom to be heated better than some of the other rooms in the house, especially in the winter time. Some residential bathrooms have individual electrical heating units installed therein, whereby a quantity of heat in addition to that provided by the home heating system can be readily supplied.
Finally, disagreeable odors and/or a high degree of humidity are often produced in the bathroom. Ventilation devices have been conventionally used to eliminate these odors and/or humidity. Such ventilation devices typically comprise a fan which aspirates the air from the inside of the bathroom, preferably from the upper portion thereof where the hottest air having the highest degree of humidity is concentrated. Such air is generally drawn from the bathroom and forced through a channel to the exterior of the residence.
It is also known that in some parts of the world domestic washing machines and clothes dryers have-been installed in the bathroom. In such cases, however, a number of apparatuses which are cumbersome and occupy a significant amount of space will be undesirably concentrated in the bathroom. Since all of such apparatuses typically are electrical appliances, safety in the bathroom is compromised not to mention an increase in utility costs.